Firearm



May 3, 932- c. c. LooMls 1,856,395

FIREARM Filed Sept. 11, 1930 Patented May 3, 1932 F T vfi".

CRAWFORD C. LOOMIS, OF ILON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR'TO REMINGTON ARMS COM- l PANY, INC., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FIREARM Application filed September 11, 1930. Serial No. 481,277.

This invention relates to firearms, and particularly to a fore-end construction for firearms. For the purpose of illustration, the invention has been shown as applied to a i'irearm of the type described in the patent to Browning, No. 812,326, February 13, 1906, although in many aspects it is of general application and not limited to the Browning construction.

In firearms of this type the fore-end abuts the forward end of the receiver, and is channeled to receive the lower part of the barrel, which recoils with respect to the foreend and the receiver to perform the operations incident to ejecting a fired cartridge and reloading. The cartridges are contained in a tubular magazine arranged below the barrel and substantially enclosed within the fore-end.

In the Browning patent the fore-end is channeled throughout its length and the magazine tube extends entirely through and slightly beyond the fore-end. One purpose of this construction is to enable the fore-end to be retained in place by means of a cap screw threaded upon the projecting end of the magazine tube. I

It is an object of the present invention to improve such a fore-end construction with a view to completely enclosing the magazine Y. tube within the fore-end and to provide an effective fastening device for a magazine tube and fore-end so constructed. Y

In the drawings: y

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation,

-35 partly in section, of a firearm embodying the invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3v is a sectional elevation of a partof the fore-end securing device.

Fig. 4 is an elevation at the left end of Fi 5.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal side elevation, partly in section, showing a modiication of the invention.

The firearm comprises a barrel 10, a receiver 11, and a. fore-end 12, the rearward end of the fore-end 12 abutting the forward end of receiver 11 and preferably being provided with a tenon to be received in a recess in the receiver as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Rigidly secured to the barrel 10 is an apertured lug 13 which encircles the forward end of the magarine tube 141. Vhen the gun is red, the barrel recoils with respect to the receiver and the fore-end, compressing the recoil spring 15 which encircles the magazine tube. A suitable friction ring device, indicated generally by the numeral 16, may be interposed between recoil spring 15 and the barrel lug 13. After the completion of the recoil movement of the barrel, it is thrust forward to the position illustrated in Fig. 1 by the spring 15 and is stopped in its home position by the engagement of the forward side of lug 13 with the adjacent face of the fore-end 12. The spring 15 necessarily exerts considerable force upon the barrel so that at the time the face of the lug 13 contacts with the fore-end said lug is moving with considerable speed. The shock of stopping the barrel is thus transmitted to the fore-end and the devices which secure the fore-end in place must be so arranged as to receive and distribute the shock without damage. Since wood is the ordinary material for the fore-end and, indeed, appears to be the only practicable material, the matter of receiving and properly distributing the recoil shock without damage to the wood becomes one of major importance.

As heretofore stated, these firearms as hitherto constructed have included a magazine tube rigidly secured in the receiver and eX- tending throughout the length of the fore-end so that a. cap screw could be applied to the forward end of the tube, bearing against the front face of the fore-end, thereby holding it in place and transmitting the strain received from the fore-end to the receiver. The magazine tube being of relatively large diameter, the base of the cap screw had a broad bearing upon the fore-end and the recoil shock was transmitted with comparative ease. This construction, however, is objectionable in that it requires that substantially the same diameter of the fore-end be maintained throughout its length and that it terminate in an abrupt front face Yadapted to form a wide bearing for a large cap screw'- Such a lirearm does not have a desirable appearance and, further, a gap yor notch is left between the cap screw and the barrel, which is obj ectionable particularly when the gun is used in the brush by reason of its tendency to catch and hold twigs, leaves, and other foreign objects.

rl`he present invention contemplates housing the magazine tube entirely within the foreend and providing an improved fasten-y ing device of desirable appearance which enables the fore-end to terminate Ain acurving line, rather than with the abrupt and angular contour of the prior art. magazine tube terminates a short distance in front of the barrel lug 13 and its en d is closed by aV threaded plug 1'?. Said plug is apertured, preferably eccentrically, and threaded to receive the threaded end of a take-down bolt 18 which extends longitudinally through a bore of relatively small diameter in the forward part of the fore-end. The take-down bolt is provided with a milled head 19 and, since a snug Y fit, necessitating considerable torque, is desirable, the head 19 is traversed by a projectable pin 20 yieldingly held in place by a plunger 21 pressed into a recess 22 in the pin 2O by a spring 23 which abuts a screw 24 threaded into a suitable aperture in the head 19. By pressing upon either end of the pin 20 the plunger 21 is retracted against the force of Vits spring and the pin may be moved downwardly from one edge of the A head 19, therebyT forming a convenient handle for properly loosening and tighteningY the take-down bolt.

To properly distribute the recoil shock for transmission to the headof the take-down bolt, a metal liner 25 for the bolt receiving recess is provided. Said liner terminates in a iianged head 26, preferably of the same diameter as the taire-down screw head 19 and received ina recess in the fore-end so that its Y exposed face lies iiush with the fore-end, and

the take-down bolt appears to seat directly upon the fore-end. To yieldingly retain the .s i. take-down bolt'againstaccidental loosening, Y a spring pressed ball or pin 27 is inserted in Va suitable recess in the head and engages Vin any of a plurality of depressions or recesses in the flange 26. To prevent the taledown bolt from falling out when the gun is taken down, a portion 28 of the shank of said bolt is of reduced diameter and a screw 29 passes transversely through the fore-end 'and an aperture inthe liner 25, its projecting 'end L?. being received opposite the section 28 of the rtalre-down bolt. The shoulders at the ends vof said sections form` abutments which, en-I gaging the end of the screw 29, limit the longitudinal movement .of the take-down bolt. To take the gun down. the pin 2O is projected from one .siderrof the head 1 9 to afford: the necessary leverage for loosening the take-down bolt, and the take-down boltV is thenrotated to disengageits threaded end 1 from the plug 17 in the magazine tube which,

To this end, the

it will be recalled, is rigidly secured to the receiver. The fore-end can then be drawn forward to clear the end of the magazine tube and be moved downward. The barrel is then drawn forward out of the receiver, the n lug 13 passing off from the end of the maga.- gine tube in this operation.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 the construction is similar to that already described except that the head 35 of the 75 s take-down bolt is eccentric to the shank of said bolt, so that when the gun is assembled said head lies closely adjacent to the underside of the Vbarrel,"i'1nstead of leaving a gap f between thehead and the barrel. IfA said 30 gap is consideredundesirable, the construction of Figs. 4 and 5 may be used.. -Thisarrangement has a further' advantage, in that the ,pin 20 maybe arranged to project a short distance from the head vwhen 'the part-s s45Y are assembled and thereby form a lockY for preventing accidental loosening of the takedown' bolt by engaging the side 'ofthe bari-pel, as clearly shownin Fig..4.

It is to be understood that the construction ceiver and a fore-endra magazine tube 'se-l4- cured toV said receiver extendingV into Vand 105..

terminating witliinsaid fore-end, and means fork securing said fore-end to said magazine Ytube while permitting relative movementof the barrel and yfore-end.

3. In a firearm comprising a receiverand lill a fore-end, a fore-end fastening deviceicom-V prising an elementsecured in rsaid'receiver and terminating withinv said fore-end',.and fj a device traversingaportion of said fore?,

end in a direction longitudinally of'said'foref'll# end and removably connected with 'said ele-V ment. Y Y Y 4. In a rearm, a receiver, la fore-end, a magazine tube housed Vand terminatingwithzv.,

in said fore-end, a plugin the endgofY saidlV Ymagazine tube having, therein a. threadedn 'Y aperture, a threaded bolt traversing thev forward part of said fore-end adapted-t0 be received in said threaded aperture,- and`v means for manipulating said bolt. A.

5.'In a firearm, aY receiver, a fore-end, a i magazine tube housed and terminating Withiny said fore-end, a-plug in the endfofplsaid magazine tube havingftherein va threaded I aperture, and a threaded bolttraversingthe 188..

forward part of said fore-end adapted to be received in said threaded aperture, the head of said bolt bearing against the end of said fore-end.

5 6. In a firearm, a receiver, a fore-end, a

magazine tube housed and terminating within said fore-end, a plug in the end of said magazine tube having therein a threaded aperture, a threaded bolt traversing a bore in the forward part of said fore-end and adapted to be received in said aperture, and a liner in said bore encircling said bolt and terminating in a fiange adapted to form a bearing for the head of said bolt.

7. In a firearm, a receiver, a fore-end, a

magazine tube housed and terminating within said fore-end, a plug in the end of said magazine tube having therein a threaded aperture, a threaded bolt traversing the forward part of said fore-end adapted to be received in said threaded aperture, and means for manipulating said bolt, said means comprising a pin projectable transversely from the head of said bolt and serving as a lock to prevent accidental loosening of said bolt.

8. ln a firearm, a receiver, a fore-end, a magazine tube housed and terminating within said fore-end, a plug in the end of said magazine tube having therein a threaded aperture, a threaded bolt traversing the forward partof said fore-end adapted to be received in said threaded aperture, and means for retaining said bolt in said fore-end when it is disengaged from said plug.

9. In a firearm, a take-down bolt having a head provided with a transversely extending pin adapted to be projected from said head to afford increased leverage, means for yielding-ly retaining said pin in retracted position and limiting its movement in extended position, and means projecting longitudinali)7 from said head adapted to yieldingly retain it against rotation when the rearm is assembled.

CRAWFORD C. LOOMIS. 

